What the Raiders' Performance vs. Texans Meant for Pete Carroll

The Las Vegas Raiders' near-win over the Houston Texans was a meaningful one for Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll reacts after a play during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have not won a game in months. Las Vegas looked lifeless in several of its 13 losses this season, but Sunday against the Houston Texans was not one of those occurrences. Las Vegas' road loss to Houston will show up as just another loss on their record.

However, there is a good chance Sunday's loss will go down as much more than that for Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll and his coaching staff. There is no denying the Raiders' struggles this season, and it is difficult to spin a loss as a positive. Yet, the Raiders have reason to be hopeful moving forward.

What Sunday Meant for Carroll

Carroll was hired to help the Raiders take a step forward. Through 15 games, they have taken a step back. Still, Sunday's narrow loss to the Texans confirmed that the Raiders already have many players on the roster to build around in the upcoming offseason.

The loss also confirmed the team has not quit on Carroll. Following Sunday's matchup against the Texans, Carroll explained what the game meant to him and the Raiders. Sunday was still a loss, but it gave the Raiders reason to believe they are not far off from being a consistently competitive team.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll walks on the sideline during pregame warmups against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

“This game was about how hard we would play and how much we love the game. Why would a team struggling like that play so hard? But it goes to the love our guys have for each other. It was clear we wanted to show who we were. This was a great opportunity to do it, and I think that’s exactly what we saw today," Carroll said.

Ashton Jeanty's breakout performance was the best part of the day for Las Vegas. Jeanty's emergence was another aspect of the Raiders' development Carroll can point to when making his case to Las Vegas' front office to return for another season.

Before the Raiders can make a sound decision on Carroll, they should at least give him and Jeanty a competent offensive line, an offensive line coach, and a play caller. Otherwise, there is not much they can accurately judge Carroll on this season. Carroll praised Jeanty for a productive outing.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyler Lockett (17) catches a pass against the Houston Texans during the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

“I think it was a beautiful day to watch Ashton. You can just see what his talent is—so obvious to me and, I’m sure, everybody that’s really watching him," Carroll said.

“He’s just really hard to tackle, and these guys just fall off him, and he just keeps striding on past one, but on the run, too. Same situation. He’s done it a number of times. It was great to see him have that much space to do his thing. I give a lot of credit to the guys up front for getting that done.”

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